How long have you been writing fiction?

Four and a bit years, not counting some Star Trek material (yes, I submitted Star Trek: The Next Generation scripts to Paramount; no, they weren't accepted).

What was your first published story, with what magazine, and how were you compensated?

"Gift" in Strange Days #5, October 92. I was paid one cent per word plus a contributor's copy.

What are your feelings on publishing in the small press?

Unless you are extremely talented, it is easier to make your first sales to small press magazines. In addition, small press editors are more likely to take the time to send feedback. I am particularly grateful to Jeff Dennis (editor of Random Realities, which has now, alas, ceased publication) for the encouragement he gave me.

On the negative side, small press magazines are more likely to fold, occasionally without even returning submissions. And of course their circulation is lower. I recommend submitting to the major magazines first, but not getting discouraged if they reject your work.

Have you ever sold your work for less than a penny a word or for contributors copies, and do you recommend it?

Yes, I have sold my work for less than a penny a word. And once I let an editor publish a story of mine for copies only, but that editor had previously been very supportive to me, and had paid me for earlier work.

I strongly recommend first submitting your work to the better paying markets. But if a story has accumulated a dozen rejections, then it may well make sense to try magazines that offer 1/2 cent per word, or a flat rate such as $10 per story. And some of the magazines that pay less still have a good reputation in the field, and that makes them more attractive markets.

If you can afford it, buying sample copies can help you decide both whether your stories match a given magazine and whether you would like to be published by that magazine.

Did you ever have your work published in a magazine that you regretted?

Almost -- I almost regret one of my publications. Well over a year ago I had a story published in a small press magazine, and I am still owed payment for the story. But the editor had earlier sent me some very friendly letters, so I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming life overwhelmed her.

Do you feel your small press/semi-pro credits helped you sell to professional markets?

I believe it is often true that small press/semi-pro sales help authors break into professional markets. I am not certain it is true in my case. My first acceptance from a professional market was in June 1993, when Aboriginal SF accepted my story "Silent in the Cities." Aboriginal SF has the unusual---and writer-friendly---policy of reading every submission in its entirety, regardless of whether the author has any credits. I am convinced that the acceptance from Aboriginal SF helped my stories get a more favorable reading at the major magazines.

Anything you would do differently if starting out as a new writer today?

Nothing substantially different, other than avoiding magazines that hindsight has taught me are about to fold!

Any other comments or words of wisdom for aspiring writers:

Be persistent. I have sold stories after they have been rejected up to eighteen times.... I have a friend who made over twenty submissions to one editor before making her first professional sale to that editor (she now has many professional sales, including several more to that particular editor).

If you can find a good writers' workshop, one that will give honest feedback on your stories without being vicious, then I recommend joining. Over and above what you can learn from the critiquing process, workshops allow you to meet other writers. Writing can be a lonely experience, and I have been fortunate in finding very good friends in both the workshops I've belonged to (Critical Mass in Boston, and the Pittsburgh Worldwrights).

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Mary Soon Lee has published fiction in many magazines and anthologies, including Pirate Writings, Random Realities, Beyond, Interzone, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She has upcoming stories that will be appearing in Aboriginal Science Fiction, Dark Regions, Death Realm, Distant Journeys, Fantastic Collectibles, Galaxy, Intermix, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Pirate Writings, Plot, and Space and Time. She also runs a writing workshop called the Pittburgh Worldwrights.

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